What happened to the Dolphins running game?

The Miami Dolphins are quickly changing their recipe for success, although it’s not by choice. Earlier this year, Reggie Bush was leading the Dolphins to the #2 ranked rushing offense in the NFL. The Dolphins were grinding out games, running the football and stopping the run. Now, the Dolphins rank #12 with 116 yards per game. The low point came on Sunday when the Dolphins rushed 18 times for 19 yards. That’s simply not good enough and puts WAY too much pressure on rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

So what happened to the Dolphins once dominant rushing attack? A number of factors have contributed:

Reggie Bush’s injury – In the games since he injured his knee against the Jets, Reggie Bush has rushed 48 times for 132 yards (2.75 yards per carry). Bush, despite playing each week, is not fully healthy and it shows. Earlier this season, he’d take the handoff, find a lane, and hit the line of scrimmage hard. Now he’s dancing, something he used to do a lot in New Orleans. Reggie needs to use the bye week to get healthy and get back to what he was doing earlier this season; Running hard.

Offensive Line Blocking – The Dolphins offensive line was playing very well earlier this season. However, in recent weeks, the Dolphins linemen have been shoved backwards on running plays, creating no holes for Reggie Bush and other Dolphins ballcarriers to run through. To their credit, Jake Long and Mike Pouncey have been good in run blocking. BUT, Richie Incognito, John Jerry, and Jonathan Martin need to improve if the Dolphins rushing attack is going to get back on track. (cont’d on page 2, click below)